Seinfeld and WWE's Batista are Head Cases

Share.

The creators of the therapy comedy talk about their big name guest stars.

By Eric Goldman

Launched in 2007 as a ten minute segment, Starz's Head Cases is now a half hour comedy, with expanded stories focusing on Dr. Elizabeth Goode (Alexandra Wentworth), a therapist to the stars who is incredibly argumentative with her clients. Clips from the new season showed an incredibly impressive array of guest stars, mostly playing themselves, including Hugh Hefner, Greg Grunberg (Heroes), Jeff Probst (Survivor), Janeane Garofalo (24), Tiffani Thiessen (Beverly Hills, 90210), Jerry Seinfeld and WWE wrestler Batista, many of whom get into some pretty heated comedic conversations with Dr. Goode.

Wentworth, who co-created the series with Robert Bauer, noted that the show is, "Completely unscripted. We call upon talent – they have no idea what they're going to be saying, and we have no idea what we're going to do with them." She said that this season, this method has led to some, "Very funny storylines. I get jilted. I get herpes. The normal things that women go through."

Wentworth said she was particularly happy with the Seinfeld episode, revealing, "Jerry Seinfeld is dirty on our show. He lets loose. Something about when these celebrities come in and do this, I don't know if it's [because it's] therapy and unscripted, but they just let it all out to our advantage."

Jerry Seinfeld and Alexandra Wentworth in Head Case

Executive producer Jason Farrand said, "We speak to the talent on the phone a month before, but when they come on set they do not know what's going to happen." However, he said, "If they don't feel comfortable, they can cut the cameras themselves," which makes them at ease.

Wentworth said it's been nice having the reputation of the show grow, remarking, "Chris Rock and people are saying 'Yeah, I want to do your show. It's funny!', as opposed to the beginning, where it was very, very hard to convince people." Wentworth said her dream guest was Marilyn Manson, because she wonders, "How do you go from being a suburban kid to that? Who's talking to this person?"

The producers revealed that occasionally, a guest will take the therapy improv too seriously, with Wentworth saying there were times she's think, "Oh my god, they think they're really in therapy. I don't want to hear this!" She gave one example as the time Rosanna Arquette was on, and started going into, "some drama in her life about some guy sleeping with a stripper." Said Wentworth, "I can see it in my eyes when they think they're really in therapy. And some people are completely out of their minds and not listening to what I'm saying."

Wentworth revealed one of her most pleasant surprises was Alanis Morissette, explaining, "I thought she'd be an angry lesbian rock and roller. I thought she'd hit me over the head with a guitar. She was incredibly sweet, but very funny." Wentworth said one moment that stuck out to her was when she asked Morissette, "Have you ever gotten an STD?", and Morissette replied, "Yes, in my eye."